BRITAIN’S stores are set to lose billions each year as elderly consumers say they feel unwelcome on the High Street.

Almost one in four shoppers aged 70-plus claim to feel uncomfortable and stressed when shopping

A lack of chairs, the replacement of self-checkouts and the prospect of further automisation leave as many as 1.7million older shoppers - almost one in four of all those aged 70-plus feeling uncomfortable and stressed while shopping.

As growing numbers of baby boomers pass retirement and the strength of the grey pound rockets, UK shops stand to lose out on £4.5bn a year by 2030 unless they undergo a dramatic revamp, a new report warns.

The alternative is disappearance of banks, estate agents, and many well-known brands - leaving just 120,000 shops remaining nationwide.

The effects of the demise of the traditional High Street will stretch beyond the economy,contributing to the prospect of 8.7million lonely older people in the UK by 2030, according to research by the Centre for Future Studies, commissioned by elderly housing provider Anchor.

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This is an issue not to be overlooked, as it increases older people’s isolation and loneliness, in turn affecting health and wellbeing

Jane Ashcroft CBE, Anchor’s chief executive

Dr Frank Shaw, of the CFS, said: “Baby boomers are an economic force to be reckoned with.

As they enter older age, their refusal to retire quietly is an opportunity to reinvigorate the high street, transforming it into a diverse, prosperous, and age-friendly environment.

“The alternative, £4.5bn annual losses and the death of the high street, will be devastating not just for older people but for everyone.”

The report found the focus on new technology to define the future of the high street, but a quarter of older people say that self-checkout machines put them off from shopping and 35 per cent would be deterred by the introduction of robots.

Sixty per cent are concerned by the lack of seating which would allow them to rest while shopping and a third of elderly consumers would feel uncomfortable asking for a seat in a public shopping centre or store.

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A lack of chairs and the replacement of self-checkouts are making older shoppers feel uncomfortable

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The lack of chairs has led to a third of older people suffering from leg or back ache

The lack of chairs has led to a third of older people suffering from leg or back ache.

Anchor’s Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign is now calling for more to be done to tackle inaccessible high streets, help reduce older people’s loneliness, and improve their health and wellbeing – starting with the simple yet important change of increasing seating.

Anchor’s chief executive, Jane Ashcroft CBE, said: “Going shopping is something most of us take for granted and yet many thousands of older people feel excluded from our High Streets.

“This is an issue not to be overlooked, as it increases older people’s isolation and loneliness, in turn affecting health and wellbeing.

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UK shops stand to lose out on £4.5bn a year by 2030 unless they undergo a dramatic revamp

“We must value older people - everyone should have the chance to live life to the fullest, regardless of age.”

Anchor has designed a ‘Seating Calculator’ that offers guidance on the minimum number of seats a town or city should have across its main shopping areas, so as to cater for older shoppers.